a monastery, the Troitse-Sergiyeva (Trinity) Lavra, outside Moscow

After St. Sergius founded his monastery at Sergiyev Posad around 1340, other hermit monks followed his example and headed north, seeking salvation in nature, building an astonishing 150 monasteries in just 100 years. Backed by the power of the Moscovite princes, this extraordinary missionary movement was to become a key force in the unification of Russia.

An aerial view of zgorsk